「At the academy entrance.」
Ian noticed many small figures in gray robes coming and going through the entrance, and a realization dawned on him.
'It's been two years. Another batch of new students is entering the world of Wizards.'
Looking at the hopeful, vibrant eyes of these apprentices, Ian simply offered them a silent blessing.
'I wonder how many from this batch will be able to stay.'
After entering, Ian went to the notice board in the teaching area and carefully browsed the information on it.
After yesterday's lesson, he keenly felt his own shallow knowledge of Magic Potion Science and had returned here once again.
On the board was a list of Magic Potion Tutors giving lectures in the near future.
[Edgar Peyton, Magic Potion Tutor. Class Time: 10 AM, in Classroom 5, Area XXX... Fee: 3 Magic Stones]
[Everett Sinclair, Basic Magic Potion Tutor. Class Time: 9 AM... Beginners welcome... Fee: 1 Magic Stone]
...
[Alevia Xingyu, Senior Magic Potion Tutor. Class Time: 8 AM, in Classroom 1, Magic Potion Science Area 2. Fee: 5 Magic Stones]
Ian's gaze paused. Looking at the last entry, he remembered what Malena had said on the day of his interview.
'Alevia? Isn't she the real owner of the Magic Pharmacy?'
He checked the time. He could still make it to the class. He looked toward a table next to the notice board, where a course registrar was sitting.
"Hello, I'd like to sign up for Teacher Alevia's course. Here's the fee."
"Why didn't you register earlier? People usually sign up in advance. You're lucky, kid. There happens to be one spot left today."
After paying the fee, Ian took a wooden entry token and hurried to the lecture hall.
After showing the wooden token, he entered the classroom. Dozens of seats were already filled, nearly all of them by High Level Apprentices in red long robes.
Ian had arrived a bit late, so he had no choice but to sit in an empty seat on the side of the last row.
"Hello. Seeing as you're a Middle Level Apprentice too, why did you choose Teacher Alevia's course?"
A young, chubby man next to him turned around and greeted Ian.
"By the way, my name is Canon. What's yours?"
Ian saw that the other man was also wearing a gray robe. The two of them stood out here.
"Hello, I'm Ian. You mentioned Teacher Alevia... is there something different about her?"
Canon seemed to have an outgoing personality and began to explain enthusiastically.
"Teacher Alevia's courses are quite profound. The apprentices who come to her lectures have basically already reached the beginner stage in Magic Potion Science. Didn't you see the notice board in the square?"
"Have you reached the beginner stage then?" Ian asked, looking at Canon. The other man was also very young, probably around his age.
"A while ago, I was lucky enough to successfully refine a Potion, so I guess I've barely reached the beginner stage."
The chubby Canon had a proud look on his face. After all, a Middle Level Apprentice who was also a Magic Potion Alchemist was a rare sight in the High Tower.
"A few days ago, I also happened to refine a *Secondary Healing Potion*. It made me realize how shallow my knowledge is, so I came here to broaden my horizons."
A *Secondary Healing Potion* wasn't considered a true Magic Potion. It only had a slight effect on minor injuries. The original owner of his body could already refine it before he transmigrated.
"That still means you have some Talent. Keep working hard, and maybe you can become a Magic Potion Alchemist too."
Although the chubby man's words were comforting, whatever he might have been thinking, his tone was at least encouraging.
As the two chatted idly, the CLICK-CLACK of footsteps came from outside.
A woman in a dark green long robe elegantly walked into the classroom and stood in the center of the lecture platform.
She put down the teaching tools in her hands and tapped the desk lightly with her fair knuckles.
"Quiet!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible wind, suppressing the apprentices' buzzing chatter.
"I am Alevia. For many of you, this is your first time in my class. I know you paid a hefty fee, and you're not here to learn the simple trick of tossing potion ingredients into a Crucible."
Ian noticed two pointed ear tips peeking out from her pale gold hair.
He didn't dare to stare. An Official Wizard's Spiritual Sense was extremely sharp, and he didn't want to offend her.
"You must remember, the essence of Magic Potion Science is not in the Magic Potion itself."
She leaned over and picked up a Starlight Grass leaf. With a gentle pinch, a faint blue glimmer seeped from between her fingers and landed on the wall of the Crucible, stirring up a fine layer of silver patterns.
"The concocting of a Magic Potion is not a simple conversion of one substance to another."
She raised her hand and drew a pale blue magic pattern in mid-air. The Rune flickered for a moment before sinking into the Starlight Grass.
The leaf instantly brightened, then quickly dimmed, returning to its original appearance.
"Its foundation is Energy resonance and directional conversion. In theory, all forms of Magic Power can be converted into one another."
A male student in a red robe in the front row suddenly raised his hand, his voice a little nervous.
"Teacher, I tried mixing Starlight Grass and a Red Fire Feather before... the Crucible exploded, and my eyebrows caught on fire. Is that also a form of resonance?"
The class erupted in laughter, but Alevia didn't smile. She just nodded.
"A very good question. But you're an idiot. That was just chaotic resonance."
Alevia turned and wrote two terms on the blackboard with a piece of charcoal... *Harmonious Resonance, Complementary Synergy*.
"The Energy of Starlight Grass is gentle, while the properties of a Red Fire Feather are scorching hot. Their frequencies naturally clash. It's like locking two wild beasts in a cage together. The result goes without saying."
She paused, her gaze falling on the apprentice who had just asked the question.
"When you step into a higher Realm, you will have the ability to fuse the two. You could even convert water and fire Energy into one another. This is the charm of directional conversion."
In the back of the classroom, an apprentice with glasses stood up to ask a question.
"Teacher, what is the relationship between Magic Potions and our Meditation? I heard that drinking a Concentration Potion doubles Meditation efficiency. Is that true? And what's the principle behind it?"
"Of course it's true. But it's not the Magic Potion that helps you."
From out of nowhere, Alevia took out a deep blue Potion. It was the very Concentration Potion that the High Level Apprentices coveted.
"When you meditate, the Spiritual Power in your mind is like a tangled mess of silk threads. The gentle Magic Energy in the Potion acts like a comb, effectively ordering your chaotic Spiritual Power."
After speaking, she placed the Potion on the desk, drawing the gazes of many apprentices in red robes.
"The direction of your initial studies is to continuously use your Spiritual Power to resonate with the Magic Power within the potion ingredients, familiarize yourselves with their frequencies, and then find a way to extract and convert it..."
The classroom was silent, save for the scratching sound of pen nibs on paper.
Watching Alevia on the platform as she slowly lectured, analyzing Magic Potion Science from a higher-level perspective, Ian was completely captivated.
Many things he hadn't understood before suddenly became clear.
Although there were still some things he hadn't fully grasped, her lecture had already pointed him in the right direction, so he was no longer fumbling around like a headless fly.
Canon, sitting beside him, had some Talent. He was surprisingly engrossed in the lecture, sometimes showing a thoughtful expression or lowering his head to take notes.
Time passed quickly, and the class was nearing its end.
"Finally, let me emphasize this one more time: A Magic Potion Alchemist is not a cook. It's not over just by tossing ingredients into a Crucible according to a recipe. You need to listen to the voice of every single magical herb, find its characteristics, and then master it."
When Alevia finished speaking, she put away the Concentration Potion and walked out of the classroom.
The classroom instantly erupted into a clamor. Some students busied themselves with their notes, while others gathered to discuss.
Just as Ian was about to get up and leave, he saw a somewhat familiar figure in a gray robe in the corner, discussing something with the apprentice next to him.
'Allen!'
A look of reminiscence appeared in Ian's eyes. Allen came from the same Kingdom as him. The difference was that Allen possessed high-grade Talent.
After enrolling, the two had barely interacted. The brief friendship they had formed on the way to the High Tower had faded with the pressures of apprentice life.